Bottle carriers with reinforced base



13, 1964 a. v. WOODLING BOTTLE CARRIERS WITH REINFORCED BASE Filed-Feb. 2, 1962 INVENTOR.

GEO/76E M WOODL/NG United States Patent 3,152,719 BOTTLE CARRIERS WITH REINFGREED EASE George V. Woodling, 22077 W. Lake Road, Rocky River, ()hio Filed Feb. 2, 1%2, Ser. No. 179,542 6 Claims. (El. 220Ii1) This invention relates to collapsible carriers for receiving objects to be carried and more particularly, bottles and other similar containers.

These carriers are usually formed of paperboard sheets and as such, in the trade, their life expectancy is low with respect to the number of times they can be used over and over again before they are discarded. One reason for the early discarding of these bottle carriers of the prior art is that the base is weak and readily becomes deteriorated. Besides the base being weak, there is no eiiicient and sturdy means to, interlock the weak base to the ends of the carrier compartment to thereby reinforce the base for carrying heavy'bottles.

An object of the invention is to provide a strong base.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a base which will have a longer life expectancy.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a base having a reinforcing rib with interlocking means to connect the base to the ends of the carrier compartment to thereby reinforce the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide a base with more than one thickness of the sheetboard material.

()ther objects and a fuller understanding of this invcntion may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a carrier embodying the features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the sheetboard material before it is assembled into the carrier;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the bottom of the carrier;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section taken along the line 44;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section taken along the line 5-5, showing principally the base-wall rib means and the end wall rib means and the interlocking means to connect them together;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded view of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a modified form of the interlocking means;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary end view of the carrier shown in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a cross-section similar to FIGURE 4, with metal foil secured to the sheetboard. i

In reference to the drawings, the carrier comprises a centrally disposed handle 20, a collapsible surrounding wall having two opposed side-walls 21 and 22 and two opposed end-walls comprising two half-end portions 23 and 24, and 25 and 26, and a base comprising two halfbase portions27- and 28. Partitions 29 may extend between the side walls and the handle.

The carrier so far described, may be similar to that shown in Forrer Patent No. 2,537,452 and in Arneson Patent No. 2,537,615.

The present invention is arranged to strengthen the base and to render. the carrier usable over and over again Without being discarded because of a damaged base. The blank from which the carrier is made is shown in FIGURE'Z. The surrounding walls are foldably connected to the handleand define a box-compartment. The opposed side-walls 21 and 22 are respectively connected to the half-base portions 27 and 28 respectively. The two half-end portions 23 and 24 are secured together by a pair of face-contacting reinforcing flaps 31 and 32 constituting a first reinforcing end-wall rib means 33. The two half-end portions 25 and 26 are secured together by 3,152,719 Fatented 0st. 13, 1964 a pair of face-contacting reinforcing flaps 35 and 36 constituting a second reinforcing end-wall rib means 37. The two half-base portions 27 and 28 fold relative to each other about a double fold line 43 and 44. The two half-base portions 27 and 28 are secured together along the double fold line by a pair of face-contacting reinforcing flaps 39 and 4t constituting a reinforcing basewall rib means '41. The base-wall rib means 41, the first and second end-wall rib means 33 and 37 and the handle 29 lie substantially in the same plane and separate the box-compartment into two half-compartment portions. The two half-compartment portions are foldable relative to the handle either into a collapsed position or into an open set-up position as shown in FIGURE 1 to receive objects'to be carried. Simultaneously, the two half-base portions 27 and 28 are foldable relative to each other respectively along the double fold line 43 and 44 either into a collapsed position or into an open set-up position as shown in FIGURE 1 to support objects thereon.

The base-wall rib means 41 has first and second end portions 46 and 47. The first end portion 46 is adapted to be connected to the first end-wall rib means 33 by interlocking means comprising a flem'ble tab 43 which hooks over a projecting edge 49. The tab 48 is made by a slot St) in the end portion 46 which terminates in a round hole 51. The projecting edge 49 is made by removing a portion from the end-wall rib means 33. The second end portion 47 is adapted to be connected to the second end wall rib means 37 by a similar interlocking means comprising a flexible tab 52 which hooks over a projecting edge 53. The tab 52 is made by a slot 54 in the end portion 47 which terminates in a round hole 55. The projecting edge 53 is made by removing a portion from the end-wall means 37. The distance between the ends of the two flexible tabs 48 and 52 is greater than the distance between the two edges 56 and 57 so that when the two tabs 48 and 52 are respectively hooked over the two projecting edges 49 and 53, they will remain in the hooked interlocked position in the set-up position of'the carrier. In hooking the tabs 48 and 52 over the respective projecting edges 49 and 53, it is only necessary to flex the tabs until they clear the edges 56 and 57, after which they may then be moved to the opposite side of the end-wall rib means 33 and 37, which completes the hooking operation. They may be unhooked in the reverse manner. The hooking and unhooking operation may be facilitated by grasping the end-wall rib means 33 and 37 by means of the thumb and index finger through the openings 58 provided in the end walls adjacent the rib means. The end walls may be slightly pulled apart to facilitate the hooking and unhooking operation. The interlocking hook means in reality provides a force transmitting means to connect the base-wallrib means to the handle through the endwall rib means 33 and 37. This construction provides a strong base and when one lifts a carrier filled with heavy bottles there is not the uneasy feeling that the bottom may drop out as sensed when lifting the carriers of the prior art filled with heavy bottles. The base remains sturdy and does not easily become damaged. The carrier may be used over and over again before being discarded. The FIGURES 7 and 8 show a modified form of inter locking means and comprises hooks 60 provided on the end of the base-wall rib means 61. The hooks 60 extend through openings 62 positioned adjacent the end-wall rib" .to the ends of the base (see FIGURE 4). The first base-pad wall means comprises a pair of pads 65 and 66 respectively connected to the left-hand end of the halfbase portions 27 and 28 and the second base pad wall means comprises a pair of pads 67 and 68 respectively connected to the right-hand end of the half-base portions 27 and 26 (see FIGURE 2'), These first and second basepad wall means toldably overlap in face contacting relationship with the underneath side of the base wall means and are secured thereto'to provide a double thickness. Throughout the entire assembly all of the face contacting surfaces may be secured together by suitable glue or other adhesive.

FIGURE 9 is a View the same as FIGURE 4, except that the internal surface of the surrounding wall means 21, '22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 and of the base-wall means 27 and 28, and the exposed external surface of the base-pad wall means 65, 66 and 67, 68 which comprise one continuous surface has metal foil means 69 secured thereto. The metal foil protects the sheet board, which is usually paper, from being soaked and damaged.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirt and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

'What is claimed is: V

1. 'A carrier for bottles and other similar articles, said carrier being foldable from a collapsed condition to an erected condition, said carrier comprising centrally disposed handle means, wall means defining a box compartment with four corners, said wall means having opposed side-wall means each having end corner edges and opposed end-wall means each having end corner edges, said end corner edges of said side-wall means and of said end wall means being joined together to define said four corners, said opposed side-wall means having bottom edges, base-wall means having outer edges respectively connected to the bottom edges of said opposed side-wall means, said end-wall means comprising first and second pair of end panels, said first pair of end panels having inner adjacent edges and having a first pair of infold reinforcing flaps respectively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps extending inwardly of the box compartment in face-contacting relation and being fixedly secured together to join the inner adjacent edges of the first pair of end panels, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps constituting first end-wall rib means, said second pair of end panels having inner adjacent edges and having a second pair of infold reinforcing flaps respectively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said second pair of infold reinforcing flaps ex- I tween said handle means and said first and second pair of end panels, said baseewall means having first and second end edges and base-wall rib means extending lengthwise thereof from one end edge to the other and projecting connection portions, said base-wall means in the erected condition of said carrier being disposed at a first position substantially longitudinally co-extensive with said handle means and in the collapsed condition of the carrier being disposed at a second position longitudinally ofi-set with respect to said first position for a distance substantially equal to one-half the width of a pair of end panels, said first and second load-carrying end connection portions of said base-wall rib means and said first and second-load carrying bottom connection portions of said end-wall rib means being disposed respectively alongside each other in face-contacting relationship for securement with each other in the erected condition of said carrier, and loadcarrying securement means securing said first and second load-carrying end connection portions of said base-wall rib means respectively to said first and second load-carrying bottom connection portions of said end-wall rib means, said handle means, said base-wall ,rib means and said end-wall rib means in the erected condition of said carrier lying substantially in the same plane and separating said box compartment into two half-compartments.

2. A carrier as defined in claim l, wh'ereinsaid loadcarrying securement means is separabi'eu 3. A carrier for bottles and other similar articles, said carrier being foldable from a collapsed condition to an erected condition, said carrier comprising centrally disposed handle means, wall means defining a box compartment with four corners, said wall means having opposed side-wall means each having end corner edges and opposed end-wall means each having end corner edges, said end corner edges of said side-wall means and of said endwail means being joined together to definesaid four corners, said opposed sideewall means having bottom edges, base-wall means having outeredges respectively connected to'the bottom edges of said opposed side-wall means, said end-wall means comprising first and second pair of end panels, said first pair of end panels having inner adjacent edges and having a first pair of infold reinforcing flaps respectively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps extending inwardly of the box compartment in face-contacting relation and being fixedly secured together to join the inner adjacentedges of the first pair of end panels, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps constituting first end-Wall rib means, said second pair of endpanels having inner adjacent edges and having a second pair of infold reinforcing flaps respec tively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said second pa r of infold reinforcing fiaps extending inwardly of the box compartment in face-contacting relation and being fixedly secured together to join the inner adjacent edges of the second pair of end panels, said second pair of infold reinforcing fiaps constituting second end-wall rib means, said first and second end wall rib means respectively having first and second riser portions extending respectively above the first and second pair of end panels said handle means extending lengthwise of said carrier and having first and secupwardly towards said handle means, said base-wall rib T means having first and second load-carrying end connection'portions, said first and second end-wall rib means having respectively. first and second load-carryingbottomi ond load-carrying end-connection portions respectively secured to said first and second riser portions and constituting first and second load-carrying connections between said handle means and said first and second pair of end panels, said base-wall means having first and second end edges and base-wall rib means extending lengthwise thereof from one end edge to the other and projecting upwardly towards said handle means, said base-wall rib means having first and second load-carrying end connection portions, said'first pair of, end panels having a first load-carrying bottom connection portion between said first end-wall rib means. and an end corner edge thereof, said second pair of end panels having a second loadcarrying bottom connection'portion between said second end-wall rib meanstand an end corner edge thereof, said base-Wall means in the erected condition of said carrier being disposed at a first position substantially longitudinally co-extensive with said handle means and in the collapsed condition of the carrier being disposed at a second position longitudinally off-set with respect to said first position for a distance substantially equal to one-half the width of a pair of end panels, said first and second loadcarrying end connection portions of said base-wall rib means and said first and second load-carrying bottom connection portions of said end panels disposed respectively adjacent to each other for securement with each other in the erected condition of said carrier, and loadcarrying securement means securing said first and second load-carrying end-connection portions of said basewall rib means respectively to said first and second loadcarrying bottom connection portions of said end panels, said handle means, said base-wall rib means and said endwall rib means in the erected condition of said carrier lying substantially in the same plane and separating said box compartment into two half-compartments.

4. A carrier as defined in claim 3, wherein said loadcarrying securement means is separable.

5. A carrier for bottles and other similar articles, said carrier being foldable from a collapsed condition to an erected condition, said carrier comprising, centrally disposed handle means, wall means defining a box compartment with four corners, said wall means having opposed side-wall means each having end corner edges and opposed end-wall means each having end corner edges, said end corner edges of said side-wall means and of said end-wall means being joined together to define said four corners, said opposed side-wall means having bottom edges, base-wall means having outer edges respectively connected to the bottom edges of said opposed side-wall means, said end-wall means comprising first and second pair of end panels, said first pair of end panels having inner adjacent edges and having a first pair of infold reinforcing flaps respectively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps extending inwardly of the box compartment in face-contacting relation and being fixedly secured together to join the inner adjacent edges of the first pair of end panels, said first pair of infold reinforcing flaps constituting first end-wall rib means, said second pair of end panels having inner adjacent edges and having a second pair of infold reinforcing fiaps respectively connected along vertical fold lines to the inner adjacent edges thereof, said second pair of infold reinforcing flaps extending inwardly of the box compartment in face-contacting relation and being fixedly secured together to join the inner adjacent edges of the second pair of end panels, said second pair of infold reinforcing flaps constituting second end-wall rib means, said first and second end-wall rib means respectively having first and second riser portions extending respectively above the first and second pair of end panels, said handle means extending lengthwise of the carrier and having first and second load-carrying end connection portions respectively secured to said first and second riser portions and constituting first and second load-carrying connections between said handle means and said first and second pair of end panels, said base-wall means having first and second load-carrying end-connection portions, said first pair of end panels having a first load-carrying bottom connection portion between said first end-wall rib means and an end corner edge thereof, said second pair of end panels having a second load-carrying bottom connection portion between said second end-wall rib means and an end corner edge thereof, said base-wall means in the erected condition of said carrier being disposed at a first position substantially longitudinally coextensive with said handle means and in the collapsed condition of the carrier being disposed at a second position longitudinally off-set with respect to said first position for a distance substantially equal to one-half the width of a pair of end panels, said first and second end-wall rib means having respectively first and second terminating bottom rib edges, said base wall means having first and second end base edges, said first and second end base edges in the erected condition of the carrier respectively positioned adjacent said first and second pair of end panels and at a level below that of said first and second terminating bottom rib edges, said first and second load-carrying end-connection portions of said base-wall means and said first and second load-carrying bottom connection portions of said end panels respectively disposed for securement with each other in the erected condition of said carrier, first load-carrying securement means securing said first load-carrying end-connection portion of said base-wall means and said first load-carrying bottom connection portion of said first pair of end panels together with said first end base edge positioned adjacent said first pair of end panels and at a level below that of said first terminating bottom rib edge, said first load-carrying securement means positioned between said first end-wall rib means and an end corner edge of said first pair of end panels, and second load-carrying securement means securing said second loadcarrying end connection portion of said base wall means and said second load-carrying bottom connection portion of said second pair of end panels together with said second end base edge positioned adjacent said second pair of end panels and at a level below that of said second terminating bottom rib edge, said second load-carrying securement means positioned between said second end-wall rib means and an end corner edge of said second pair of end panels, said handle means and said end-wall rib means in the erected condition of said carrier lying substantially in the same plane and separating said box compartment into two half-compartments.

6. A carrier as defined in claim 5, wherein said loadcarrying securement means is separable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,028 Powell Oct. 8, 1940 2,644,631 Petter July 7, 1953 2,711,844 Buttery June 28, 1955 2,932,424 Arneson Apr. 12, 1960 2,932,425 Freeman Apr. 12, 1960 2,999,758 Brown Sept. 12, 1961 

1. A CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES, SAID CARRIER BEING FOLDABLE FROM A COLLAPSED CONDITION TO AN ERECTED CONDITION, SAID CARRIER COMPRISING CENTRALLY DISPOSED HANDLE MEANS, WALL MEANS DEFINING A BOX COMPARTMENT WITH FOUR CORNERS, SAID WALL MEANS HAVING OPPOSED SIDE-WALL MEANS EACH HAVING END CORNER EDGES AND OPPOSED END-WALL MEANS EACH HAVING END CORNER EDGES, SAID END CORNER EDGES OF SAID SIDE-WALL MEANS AND OF SAID END WALL MEANS BEING JOINED TOGETHER TO DEFINE SAID FOUR CORNERS, SAID OPPOSED SIDE-WALL MEANS HAVING BOTTOM EDGES, BASE-WALL MEANS HAVING OUTER EDGES RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID OPPOSED SIDE-WALL MEANS, SAID END-WALL MEANS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID FIRST PAIR OF END PANELS HAVING INNER ADJACENT EDGES AND HAVING A FIRST PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED ALONG VERTICAL FOLD LINES TO THE INNER ADJACENT EDGES THEREOF, SAID FIRST PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE BOX COMPARTMENT IN FACE-CONTACTING RELATION AND BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TOGETHER TO JOIN THE INNER ADJACENT EDGES OF THE FIRST PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID FIRST PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS CONSTITUTING FIRST END-WALL RIB MEANS, SAID SECOND PAIR OF END PANELS HAVING INNER ADJACENT EDGES AND HAVING A SECOND PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED ALONG VERTICAL FOLD LINES TO THE INNER ADJACENT EDGES THEREOF, SAID SECOND PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE BOX COMPARTMENT IN FACE-CONTACTING RELATION AND BEING FIXEDLY SECURED TOGETHER TO JOIN THE INNER ADJACENT EDGES OF THE SECOND PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID SECOND PAIR OF INFOLD REINFORCING FLAPS CONSTITUTING SECOND END-WALL RIB MEANS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND END-WALL RIBS MEANS RESPECTIVELY HAVING FIRST AND SECOND RISER PORTIONS EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY ABOVE THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID HANDLE MEANS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID CARRIER AND HAVING FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING END-CONNECTION PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY SECURED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND RISER PORTIONS AND CONSTITUTING FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID HANDLE MEANS AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID BASE-WALL MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND END EDGES AND BASE-WALL RIB MEANS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF FROM ONE END EDGE TO THE OTHER AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY TOWARDS SAID HANDLE MEANS, SAID BASE-WALL RIB MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING END CONNECTION PORTIONS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND END-WALL RIB MEANS HAVING RESPECTIVELY FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING BOTTOM CONNECTION PORTIONS, SAID BASE-WALL MEANS IN THE ERECTED CONDITION OF SAID CARRIER BEING DISPOSED AT A FIRST POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY CO-EXTENSIVE WITH SAID HANDLE MEANS AND IN THE COLLAPSED CONDITION OF THE CARRIER BEING DISPOSED AT A SECOND POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OFF-SET WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST POSITION FOR A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ONE-HALF THE WIDTH OF A PAIR OF END PANELS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING END CONNECTION PORTIONS OF SAID BASE-WALL RIB MEANS AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND-LOAD CARRYING BOTTOM CONNECTION PORTIONS OF SAID END-WALL RIB MEANS BEING DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER IN FACE-CONTACTING RELATIONSHIP FOR SECUREMENT WITH EACH OTHER IN THE ERECTED CONDITION OF SAID CARRIER, AND LOADCARRYING SECUREMENT MEANS SECURING SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING END CONNECTION PORTIONS OF SAID BASE-WALL RIB MEANS RESPECTIVELY TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOAD-CARRYING BOTTOM CONNECTION PORTIONS OF SAID END-WALL RIB MEANS, SAID HANDLE MEANS, SAID BASE-WALL RIB MEANS AND SAID END-WALL RIB MEANS IN THE ERECTED CONDITION OF SAID CARRIER LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE SAME PLANE AND SEPARATING SAID BOX COMPARTMENT INTO TWO HALF-COMPARTMENTS. 